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Ban on passengers for new drivers

New drivers could face a nine-month ban on carrying passengers who aren't family members.

New drivers could face a nine-month ban on carrying passengers who aren't family members under new government plans to cut road deaths.

The Department for Transport (DfT) are also considering a complete ban on young drivers carrying any passengers until they have proved themselves to have enough experience on the road.

New proposals were submitted to the DfT by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), who say that an 18-year-old driver is three times more likely to be involved in an accident than a motorist who's 30 years older.

The AA said: “[New] drivers feel generally under pressure to drive in a way that impresses their young passengers, and this often means too fast and too dangerously.”

They say that new drivers should be banned from carrying passengers aged between 10 and 20 late at night, and that learner drivers should spread their lessons over a year.

The ABI has also suggested that the government introduce a graduated licence, which would impose strict restrictions on new drivers depending on their levels of experience.

According to ABI figures, one in eight drivers in the UK is under 25 years old, yet they make up one third of the motorists who die on the nation's roads every year.